The year 1881.salonika is a busy town by the sea.In 1881 it is part of the ottoman empire.
From Salonika roads go into Macedonia.There is a railway,too.Farmers come to Salonika from northern Greece and Macedonia.They buy and sell things in the market.
All kinds of people live there live there.There are Turks,Greeks,Slavs,Albanians and Jews.The Turks live on the hill behind the market.Some of the old Turkish houses are still there.

You can see one of them in this picture.Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in this house in 1881.
It is spring.There are new leaves on the trees.Ali Rıza Bey is looking out of the window.He is thinking.His wife has a new baby.
I must find a name for the baby he thinks My brother Mustafa is dead now.We can give the baby my brothers name.
He goes into the bedroom. Zübeyde he says Ive got a name for him Mustafa-yes thats a nice name says Zübeyde Hanım.
Ali Rıza Bey goes and whispers in the babys ear.
Mustafa he ehispers Your name is Mustafa

Mustafa is teo now.
He is sitting on his mothers knee.She is singing to him.
Sleep.little Mustafa she sings.
Mustafa has fair hair and blue eyes,like his mother.
Now Mustafa is six.is father and mother are talking about him.
'We can send him to a new,modern school'his father says.
'No,' his mother says.'he must go to hodja effendis school.My son must be a good Muslim.'
'All right,then,' says Ali Rıza Bey.He thinks, 'I dont like religious schools.But I love my wifw'
At Hodja Effendis school the boys learn Arabic.They Sit on the floor and write on their kness.
'Repeat after me!' says Hodja Effendi
'euzübillahimineşşeyraniirracim!'
All the boys shout together: 'euzübillahimineşşeyraniirracim!''
Mustafa is not comfortable.His legs hurt. 'PLEASE,SİR' he says ' Can I stand up?

'No,you cant sit like this all the time.Our legs hurt.
Be quiet! shouts Hodja Effendi.
All the boys stand up. We cant sit on the floor,Hodja Effendi' they say.
Listen to us!
Ali Rıza Bey takes Mustafa away from Hodja Effendis school.He sends him to Şemsi Efendis school.This is a new,modern school.Zübeyde Hanım does not say anything.
'Mustafa liles Şemsi Efendi'S school, she thinks.He's hapy now.

These are happy times for Mustafa.His sister,Mahbule,is happy too.At home they in the garden behind the house.Mustafa clims in the garden.
Be careful! says Makbule
Dont be frightened says Mustafa Its all right.
Mustafa is a very serious boy.He does not play eith the other childeren.
One day they are playing leao-frog Come on,Mustafa they say.
Come and play with us
No says Mustafa No-one must jump over my back!
But life is not easy for their parents.Ali Rıza Bey is very woeeiried.
Business is bad.
Tgings are going badly for me he says to his wife Im losing money
Dont worry she says
Ali Rıza Bey loses all is money.Then he becomes ill.
One eveing the doctor comes to their house.e looks at Ali Rıza Bey then he says Zübeyde Hanım, I want to you.Send the children away.
Mustafa and Makbule leave the room.After a few minutes the doctor goe.Their mother is still in the bedroom.She is crying.That nigt.their father died.
Mustafa is only seven years old.Now he has no father.Zübeyde Hanım takes Mustafa and Makbule to Langaza.Langaza is in the country,thirty kilometres from Salonika.Her brother has got a farm there.a new life is beginnig for the fomily.
Mustafa and Makbule both like the farm.They help their uncle It is very hard workibut they enjoy it.
Hüseyin,their uncle,has two oxen.In the autumn,they plough the fields. The ozen pull the plough.The plough opens the earth.Behind them,birds come and look for woems.
In The winterithere is not much work.They do not go out.they all sit in the farmhouse.Mustafa and Makbule roast chestnuts on the stove.
Zübeyde Haım loojs at her son.Mustafa is strong and healthy now, she thinks. This is a goog life for us.My brother is very king.But Mustafa must go to school.There are no good schools here.And we cant go back to Salonika because we havent got any money
In the spring,Mustafa and Makbule go into the fields every day.They look at the bean plasnts.The are growing fast.
The crows watc the plasnts,too.In April,the plasnts,too.In Aprilithe plasnts are big and green. The crows come and eat some of them.
Uncle Hüseyin is angry is angry Where are my beans? In the crows stomachs he says You arent doing your jop!
Yes,we are, uncle Hüseyin says Makbule. We shout at the crows.But after half an hour,we get cold.So we go back to the house.
And then the crows come back again? says Uncle Hüseyin.
Yes says Makbule. But what can we do? Its very cold.We cant stand in the field all day.
Uncle Hüseyin makes a hut in the corner of the fiel.You con both sit in here and watch.Wait For the crows.Then jump out and shout at them he says. It is summer.There is a lot of work on the farm.They work in the fields from morning to night.
One day Mustafa says to his mother,Mother ,I like it here.Uncle Hüseyin is very kind to us. We have lots of good food.But Im not learning anything .When can I go to school again?
I know , my son said his mother.You re right.Im thinking about that too.
There is a small Greek school in the village.The teacher is a priest.Mustafa goes there for a week.But he does not like it
Mother,the Greek school is like Hodja effendis schoo in Salonika,he says.I dont like religious.Please,Mother.
Zübeyde Hanım writes a letter to her sister in Salonika.Dear Sister she writes.I hope you and your family are well.Everyone is well here.I want to ask you something.Mustafa is eleven years old now...

A letter comes from Salonika.Zübeyde Hanım reads it.
Who is it from ? asks Mustafa
Its from your aunt,she says She finishes the letter.Then she says,
Wll,Mustafa,Ive got some good news for you.Your aunt says you can sytay with her.You can go to a real school
So Mustafa leaves the farm and goes back to the town
For a time everything goes well.Mustafa is happy because he is going to school again.Then one day,there is a big fight in his class.Al the boys are shoting.They do not see the man at the door. It is Kaymak Hafız.
The boys all turn and look.No-one speaks.Everyone is afraid pf Kaymak Hafız. He points to Mustafa goes and stands in front of him.
Its you again Its always you! You start fights every day!
No sir,I
Quiet,boy
Kaymak Hafız hits Mustafa very hard with his stick.He hits him again and again.The other boys stand and look.
He hates Mustafa They think.He wants to kill him.
That afternoon Mustafa walks home very slowly.There are cuts on his face and all over his body.
Nobody must see me he thinks.He walks through the back streets.
He knocks on the door of his aunts house.she opens the door.
Mustafa! Youre early she says.Then she sees his face.
Oh,you poor boy! she says.Mustafa goes into the house.
Be quick,Aunt he says Close the door.
All right,Mustafa she says.I dont want to talk about it.But I can say one thing-Im not going to that school again!
Zübeyde Hanım and Makbule come back to Salonika.Now the family is together again.But Mustafas mother is worried.There is a miliary school in the town.The boys at this school wear uniform.Mustafa sees these boys in the streest.He thinks I WANT TO BE LİKE THEM
Mustafas mother watch him.A mother always understands he son...
Mother he says I want to ask you something.Can I...
I know says his mother You want to go to that military school.Am I right?
Yes says Mustafa.Dont get angry,Mother
Well,the Ottoman Empire at this time.Oh why does Mustafa want to lose my son as well
Mustafa studies hard.His mother does not see him with his books at bight.He does not tell her anything.He takes entrance exam for the military school.Then he waits.His mother still does not know anything.
Whats wrong with Mustafa? Zübeyde Hanım thinks.He isnt Tallkimg very much.Is he ill.
Aletter comes for mustafa.He is very quiet.His mother and Makbule watch him.He opens the letter and reads it.
Well Mother he says I musttell you something.
What his mother asks
Read this
Mustafa gives his mother Makbule Zübeyde Hanım says.But its a surprise.
Go on Mother tel me says Makble
Zübeyde Hanım wants to cry.She reads the letter again.very carefully.I mustnt cry she thinks.Then she smiles.
Its from the millitary school she says Mustafa passed the entrance exam.

Atatürk was born in Selanik in 1881. His father was Ali Rıza Efendi and his mother was Zübeyde Hanım. His parents called him Mustafa.

His father Ali Rıza Efendi died when little Mustafa started primary school so they moved to another city. They stayed there with his uncle. His worked on his uncle's farm for some time. Then he went back to Selanik and started Şemsi Efendi School again. Later he entered the exam for the Military School and he passed it.

He was very good at maths in the Militariy School. His maths teacher liked him very much. One day he said to him "Your name is Mustafa. My name is Mustafa. That's why I'm giving you the name Kemal. Your name is Mustafa Kemal from now on. His name became Mustafa Kemal then. He was very hardworking student. He finished the Military School and joined the army as a young officer. He fought in Çanakkaler Wars. Then He became the chief commander of the Turkish Independence War. His enemies were EnglishesFrenches İtalians and Greeks.You see He saved our country with his friends from the very strong nations of the world. And he overcomed them.

Then He invited the all Turkish patriots to Ankara on the "19th of March1920". He opend the Turkish Grand National Assembly by a religious ceremony on the "23rd of April 1920".

Atatürk is founder of the Young Turkish Republic. He founded the Republic of Turkey on the "29th of October 1923". And he became the first president of the Turkish republic. In 1934 The Turkish Grand National Assembly gave him the surname "Atatürk". Atatürk means the father of Turks in English language.

He died on the "10th of November 1938". His mausoleum is in Ankara. Ankara is the capital city of the Turkey. It's in the middle of

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in Salonika in 1881. His father is Ali Rıza Effendi, his mother is Zübeyde Hanim. Ali Rıza Effendi was from the local people of Salonika. His early grandfathers had settled down in Serez leaving Vidin, and went to Salonika from there. Ali Rıza Effendi, worked as a customs officer in the beginning of his life, and then left working as an officer and was engaged in timber trade.

Ataturks mother, Zubeyde Hanim was from an old Turkish family settled down in a town named Langaza near Salonika. This family was one of the yoruks passed from Anatolia to Rumeli and were known as 'Varyemezoğulları'. This family had big farms in Langaza and they were engaged in both farming and animal husbandry. Upon Ali Rıza Effendis death in his fifty in 1888, who married Zubeyde Hanim in 1871, the duty of growing and bringing up little Mustafa was left to Zubeyde Hanim. Little Mustafa, obeying his mother, went to the quarter school of Hafiz Mehmet Effendi for his primary education. But, in a short period of time, he passed to Şemsi Effendi School in Salonika upon his fathers will, and completed the school there. His father died while he was studying in this school. At this time, he had two sisters younger than him whose names were Makbule and Naciye.

When their father died, little Mustafa was seven years old, and Makbule had just completed her first age; Naciye was 40 days old. This youngest sister died in Salonika in her youth. Upon Ali Rıza Effendis death, Zubeyde Hanim settled down in Huseyin Effendis house, who worked as a steward in Rapla farm near Salonika. The education of little Mustafa was willy-nilly hampered because of farm life. However, after a short period of time, he turned back to Salonika and went on his education from where he left in his aunts house.

Little Mustafa went for a period of time to Salonika Civil Service Secondary School after Şemsi Effendi Primary School, but he left this school and applied to Military Secondary school in 1893 with his own decision and carried on his education there.

He went to his uncle Huseyin Effendis farm in summers and stayed there until it is the school time. Mustafa really loved this school. He showed himself among his friends in a short time with his intelligence and superior skills and made his teachers like him.